ROME
As I stepped into St Peter's Square to pay homage to our beloved Pope Francis, I was struck by the vast sea of people gathered in the embracing piazza.
Standing in line among thousands, I realized this was not merely a farewell but a profound reflection on his life and legacy.
I saw the whole world present there: the sick and elderly in wheelchairs, the poor, the differently abled, Buddhist monks, Sikh pilgrims, people from distant lands—all crossing boundaries of religion, language, age, health, and geography.
It was a living testament to the universality of God's love, reflected in Pope Francis’s vision of a Church that truly embraces all. It echoed the words in Luke 13:29: “People will come from east and west, and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
The atmosphere beneath the silent sky was filled with deep emotions of loss, love, and reverence. In those long hours of waiting, his death spoke volumes through the tears, prayers, silence, and sharing of memories.
When the moment finally arrived to pay my respects, I was fortunate, as a priest, to be a little closer and to remain a little longer near his resting place. I looked upon his peaceful face one last time, and my heart stirred with a sense of fatherly closeness, as though I were saying goodbye to one of my own.
Even in his death, Pope Francis spoke, through the simplicity of his burial instructions, reminding us that, in the end, nothing belongs to us on this earth. Pope Francis is not just a memory but a message.
He showed us that true love does not end with death; it lives on, in us, and through us. As vicar of Christ, he lived the love of God until the very end, inviting us all to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).
[The writer hails from Rachol and is presently pursuing a Licentiate in Sacred Liturgy at Pontifical Athenaeum of St Anselm, Rome.]
